Maimonides Ladder of Giving Tz'dakah


Who was Rambam/Maimonides?

  • Full Name: Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (RaMba"M)
  • 1135-1204
  • Physician, Philosopher, and Torah Scholar/Rabbi
    • Guide for the Perplexed (Philosophy)
    • Complete Mishna Commentary (written by age 13)
    • Mishneh Torah (First successful encyclopedia of Jewish law)
  • Spain, Morocco, Egypt

Rambam's Laws of Giving Gifts to the Poor, ch. 10
external image pdf.png Chapter 10 Translation.pdf
פרק י' בעברית




Questions to Consider While Studying the Texts:

1) In two sentences and in your own words, what does the halakha mean?
2)To what issues is Rambam saying that a giver must be sensitive when giving tz'dakah?
3) How does Rambam describe a poor person's situation and/or state of mind?
4) What is Rambam's opinion of someone who fulfills his or her tz'dakah responsibility?
5) What is Rambam's opinion of someone who DOES NOT fulfill his or her tz'dakah responsibility?
6) How do Rambam's teachings fit in with what we have learned about the universe of obligation?




The Eight Levels of Giving:

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)

1) Why is level 8 included in the ladder?
2) Which of the eight levels does your MVP agency fulfill? Should that have an impact on your allocation decision?